Arcadia Skater Ready for Her Close Up

Hometown girl Mirai Nagasu hits the ice tonight for her country at the Olympic games in Vancouver, and you can be sure that all of Arcadia High — hell, all of Arcadia itself — will be watching. The 16-year-old figure skater was born in Montebello and raised in Arcadia, attending Foothills Middle School and then Arcadia High until her junior year (this school year), when her skyrocketing skating career mandated more time on the ice and traveling. She’s now finishing high school online.

Tuesday she skates in the short program, and Thursday night, in the women’s free skate. Both will be shown on NBC’s primetime coverage.

If you want to get caught up in the big-time Arcadia pride, head to Matt Denny’s Ale House, which will be packed to the rafters — the Pasadena Figure Skating Club, where Nagasu learned to skate and is still a member, will be there in force, along with other fans and locals.

In case you were thinking of watching it at her parents’ Arcadia restaurant, Kiyosuzu Sushi, know that they’re up in Vancouver to watch their daughter and closed the place for the next few days. But when they get back, business is sure to be booming from all the publicity.